World Carfree Day is an annual celebration of cities and public life, free from the noise, stress and pollution of cars. Each year on September 22, people around the world organize events of all sizes to showcase alternatives to the automobile. World Carfree Network invites organisations and individuals everywhere to join.

On 22 September 2003, Humboldt State University was the first U.S. university to celebrate Car-Free Day. The day of celebration was sponsored and coordinated by what was then the Alternative Transportation Club of Humboldt State University, founded by Renee Stork. The ATC changed its name to Green Wheels in the fall of 2006. HSU has celebrated Car-Free Day in 2004, '05, and '06. It has become a regular annual event on the HSU campus. Each year it is an opportunity to highlight the fun, healthful, aesthetic, and community-building benefits of sustainable transportation by bringing the community together for a morning bike ride to campus and free breakfast, and by closing "B" street to automobile traffic to create a pedestrian corridor and artistic space for pastel artwork, among other events. It is also a venue for Green Wheels promote itself and its sustainable transportation initiatives and projects for the year.

Green Wheels dedicates considerable time and effort to plan and coordinate Car-Free Day. Many of the same tasks must be performed every year, most often by new club officers, members and volunteers, as there is constant turnover in any student organization at a university. This page is document the necessary steps to making Car-Free Day happen, streamlining the process for busy student organizers. Since the document is on a wiki, it is well-suited to be adjusted and refined with each successive year. This page is being maintained on Appropedia, not privately on Google Documents or another online collaborative space in hope that other university campuses might use this information to coordinate their own Car-Free Day celebration. Putting Car-Free Day planning information on Appropedia is also an effective way to introduce more people to Appropedia, a website begun at HSU, which is becoming an increasingly useful tool for the appropriate technology community.

World Car-Free Day is September 22nd, so HSU has generally celebrated on Sep 22 with the rest of the world. In 2006, however HSU celebrated CFD on Thursday, Sep 21st because the 22nd fell on a Friday, when fewer students would have been on campus. If September 22nd falls on a weekend day, Car-Free Day at HSU obviously needs to be scheduled for a different day.

It is imperative that a schedule of events is decided upon even before the fall semester begins. If a schedule of events is still being created when the fall semester begins, CFD promotion including fliers, advertising, press releases, brochures, webpages and email announcements must all be delayed until the schedule of events is determined.

Produce Community Wheel newsletter before CFD with special "CFD insert"

In 2006, 500 trifolds were printed by HSU Graphic Services with info on what is going to go down. For $50 you can have 500 printed on both sides on a color of your choice. For an additional $5.00 you can have them fold them, which is worth your time. It is good to pass out trifolds with class announcements.

Posters can be hung around the community; divide up responsibility for hanging posters by regions - in Arcata and other towns

Stickers: In 2005 Green Wheels purchuced 1000 blue and white bike stickers from Blackjack at 801 K street in Arcata. Their number is 707-826-0331. Allow a couple of weeks for printing. Now, you can see Car-Free Day stickers all over town.

Get a poster staking and chalking permit from the Clubs office. This permit will need to be approved by HSU Plant Operations and returned to the Clubs Office. Streamline this process by sending the permit via campus mail to Plant Ops, with a note asking them to return it by campus mail to the Clubs Office.

While they may only be able to donate a few dozen bagels for breakfast, they have been wonderful about letting us take their frozen day old bagels. All you need to do is find some freezer space and they will let you take as many as you need. In 2005 we had 200 bagels total and this was plenty. In 2006 we had 250 bagels which was way too much.

R.O.S.E. has about 50 cups you can check out. You need to clean then before returning.

The "J" checks out cups. Last year we borrowed over 200 cups from the J. However it is hard to make sure they all get checked back in, and we had to pay $3 per cup not returned. Borrowing those cups cost us close to $25.00. Be sure to have some one responsible for making sure cups are returned. We had a sign, but an anouncement would be good.

Bagel Slicer

The J has let us borrow a bagel slicer the day of in the past. Be sure to have someone responsible for returning it.

Tables

The Clubs Office has tables for clubs to use. You need to get the key for the table closet the night before, because they are not open at 6:00 when you start set up. Tables can be stored at the BLC if you ask before. If your name is on the BLC key list you can get a key from UPD anytime.

Serving Stuff

You are going to need knives, plates, platters, spoons, cream pourers... Stuff for cream and sugar has been borrowed from Sacred Grounds in the past. The other stuff from people. I would suggest making arangement to have peoples stuff returned or you will never get it all back.

Napkins

Buy non-bleached napkins so they can be composted. These can work for plates.

Last year's volunteers can first be emailed from last year's spreadsheet. Then the google group, greenwheels at googlegroups.com can be used to request volunteers. By including a link to the volunteer spreadsheet, prospective volunteers can see an up-to-the minute picture of exactly where and when help is still needed.

Green Wheels members or volunteers should personally greet every bus- or bike- commuting breakfast guest and ask them to register, taking down their email address for the announcement list if they are willing. Personally greeting each participant and writing down their email address for them will not only increase the number of addresses we are able to collect, but will also ensure that each email address is legibly written.

Green Wheels contact cards with website, email address, and meeting times should be offered, preferably, again, by a human being, instead of just sitting on the table.

Breakfast is the opportunity to make announcements of interest and use to Green Wheels and the sustainable transportation community:

Point out any dignitaries to encourage their continued annual participation:

HSU administrators

City council members

Leaders for other sustainable transportation programs

Thank volunteers

Highlight upcoming events of the day

Outline benefits of sustainable transportation

Bring up current projects on the sustainable transportation agenda for campus and Arcata

Submit press releases hailing the success of Car-Free Day, particularly highlighting pedestrians' positive experiences on "B" street, and the fact that the HSU masterplan calls for "B" street to become a pedestrian corridor closed to passenger car traffic and parking.